A Bayview killing in broad daylight and an early-morning slaying outside a China Basin nightclub were just two of at least five apparently unrelated shootings in a violent 12-hour span this weekend in by Brent Begin

For anyone in the Tenderloin who has ever looked for a place to avoid a street scuffle or other unsafe situation, there’s now a refuge available. A sign in the window of a Tenderloin business could be the only difference between life and death, a local housing activist claims.

These are excerpts from the San Francisco Police Department's daily log of activities. Incidents are listed by police precincts and the neighborhoods they patrol.

A weedy swathe of city-owned land has been razed by dozens of volunteers and local residents and turned into a multitiered garden bed designed to help families and children connect with the earth in a neighborhood where fresh produce is hard to find.

Food spoiled in darkened fridges and surf pounded popular beaches Sunday after a powerful weekend storm left a windblown legacy that could deprive some homes and businesses of power well into the wet week ahead.

Residents are giving the thumbs down to a proposed project at a San Mateo intersection, a site jokingly referred to by a city planner as "cursed" and that has seen at least five previous projects shot down.

These are excerpts from Peninsula police departments’ daily log of activities. Incidents are listed by police precincts and the neighborhoods they patrol.

New trees, streetlamps, footpaths, bus shelters, traffic lights, street crossings and businesses will breathe fresh life into the Divisadero Street corridor in 2009 under ambitious plans unveiled recently by city officials.

The Sacramento native plays the keyboard and trumpet and provides vocals for the band Cake, which performed New Year’s Eve at the Warfield.

California lawmakers begin their2008 session Monday with another multibillion-dollar budget deficit hanging over their heads and dozens of leftover issues on their agendas, including an ambitious $14 billion health coverage expansion.

After 15 years of decorating their home with candy canes, wooden statues and myriad holiday lights, San Bruno residents Clare and Eric Suen are asking themselves if it’s even worth it next winter.

After a year of public discussion about a possible centennial plaza by Burlingame’s train station, the city appears ready to scrap those plans in favor of an entirely new, more tucked-away site that officials say solves parking and safety issues.

Pappageorge,

Don’t feel bad, Nick Swisher and Dan Haren, because you’re not the only ones. In fact, I’ll see if I can get you the numbers of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, Miguel Tejada and Jason Giambi. In a few years, you guys are gonna have one helluva reunion party.

For more information, visit www.urbansolutionssf.org and to register, please call 415-553-4433, x. 101.

The median asking price for small businesses on sale in the San Francisco area was $279,500 in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to BizBuySell.com, a drop from the third quarter median of $298,000.

Businesses listed on the site had a median revenue of $466,420, down from $468,970 in the previous quarter.